Electrode-furnace



I lTo all whom z't may concern.:A l

' nYnssnN, oinnw'vonmimx. v

. anemona-runnen y Be it known that I, WAwEMAn Dussen,

a subject vof the King of Sweden, residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new. vand useful Im- I'provements in Electrode-Furnaces, of .which l lnaces.

the .following is. a. specification.j

The invention aims to 'provide an im- 'roved method of s u porting or counter'y alancin the v electro es ofl electrodey 4fur#y I'isparticularly designed for .elec-i j' tric -arc furnaces with vertical electrodes passing through the roof. These electrodes i heavy, especially for the larger furnaces,

are 4generally separately `movable by means of-electric'motors. The electrodes are quite land their weightis increased by the holder and the electric cables therefroml to the transformer'or othersource of'A current.

The .accompanying drawings illustrate' enrbodiments'of the inventionn applied to electric -furnaces of the. Heroult arc type A carrying three electrodes which have to bel lseriarately adjusted. Y

. igure 1 'isa vertlcal section, Fig. 2. a

Fig. 4 is a' sideelevation and The furnace A has a roof B throu hf which ,f D and extending transversely across tlleto .of the furnace and connected-by .a cable transformer. In practice the holder F is 4raised and-lowered, carryingwith it the elec.

l 'trede and the-,near end of .theloo ed' cable.

The movable parts are supporte from an overhead latform H which iscarried by .columns J ixed on the sides of the furnace, Asothat when the furnace is tilted the electrodesupporting 4structire moves with it.v

yThe holderF ofthe electrode issuspe'nded at-tWo 'points-so as to 'maintain it orizontal by meansofcables L and M, the

first passing over a fixed guide pulley N and 'i so .ranged'to slide on parallel guides.

both. passing over a fixed double tide pulley O and fastened to a block R w ich slides on guides Q on the top of the platform. The holders 'for the'other electrodes are similarly supported by cables L and M extending to alv'- -blocks P and S, all the lblocks lbein h ac block is'connected to a rod T which lis threaded throu h a worm wheel U driven -b'ya worm on t e shaft. of amotor V; .each

mdication of Letters Patat.

to the.

Patent-.encon 7. '1919,

. Application mea Deventer 2 1. 191e. serial No. 267.787.

motor being operated independently' of the others as it becomes "necessaxyio raise o1" flower its electrode. Each ofthe blocks carries a horizontal pulley. A cable W is looped back and forthbetween these pulley blocksI and horizontal pulleys X mounted .between ',them, and the ends 'offthe cable iV are passed over verticalfpull'eysl Y above the side of the furnacea'nd carrycout'erweights Each ",unitcomprising an electrode and its holder andy related -parts is supported by a loopof the cable W so that the strain on the cable is equal to one-half of the weight ofthe unit supported. Therefore, the Weight on each verticalA end of the cable W is half the weight of an electrode with its connected parts.` The counterweights Z, therefore,y are made each approximately half the weight of the electrode and connected parts. If the Weightf of each electrode and holder is the same, they are all 'in perfect balance and there are no stresses in the operating rods T 1 for the severalblocks P R and S. lIn practice theaveights are approximately the same'.

The several electrodes counterbalance one another, and'the weights Z constitute a common counterbalan'cing'means for the several l electrodes. When one of the blocks is moved byits motor the tw`o counterweights, supposing them to move equal distances, move the same dstanceas the block andthe electrode carried thereby. The weight of one electrede is used to counterbalance .in Whole or in part the weight of another. But it -Will I be Vunderstood that in practice the actual movement of an electrode will be' transmitted through-the common cable -to the end or ends of the latter' and there will'be no 'necessary movementl of the other electrodes'. f

Comparing this system with. the use of independent counterweights for. the several electrodes, each of which must be of the same weight as its electrode'and holder. the

total of, the three counterweights .would be three times as. great asvthat of the counterweightsZ required by the present invention.

The tWo-counterweights Z are in line with the sides of the platform and there is no intermediate counter-Weighting mechanism below the vpaltlforni; so that we have a large'- free opening' under the platform and be'- pass the holders and electric cables.. This 11s important' in keeping down electrical llosses and heating effects on `the surrounding tween the two columnsK through which to steell work v of columns and pla'tformrsuch losses being substantial where the surround# ing steel work has left only small openings for the passa-geef the electrical connections carrying a. current of large volume.'

The small size 'ofl the conterwcights which V can` be used -by the present arrangement Here motors V'and worms U a-ie r'nountedv on a small platform supported by brackets on the side of the furnace and-the rods T are vertical and connected at their upper ends to blocks P R and S. Each electrode holder F has a cable M supporting its forward-end .and running over vertical pulleys 2 and 3 and down to the corresponding blo'ck P R or S; and va cable runs from the rear end ofeach holdciupward and over a guide pulley 4 and thence down to the same block as the cable M of the holder in question. The bight or loop of the countcrbalanc-ing cable "W between theblocks P R and S passes over pulleys X which are' mounted'on the side of the'furnace, the ends' of the counter-balancing cable lpassing over the upper and lower guide pulleys Y and .Y2 as the most convenient arrangement andjcarrying counterweights Z each of which about half as heavy as one ofthe' electrodes with its eonnectedmarts., This system is in bal ance the same as that described in connection with Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Various modifications are possible in the arrangement of the counterweights without departing from the principle that the electrodes are so connected as to partly or fully counterbalance one another. It is'possible to l discard one of the separate counterweights 'Z or Z', allowing the other to travel twice the'distance through which an electrode is moved. only to furnaces of the type shown but to. other furnaces where adjusting of theelectrodcs is required; and it can be used also for a. furnace having two elect] )des or having more than three. Itis not essential that the weights of the electrodes be exactly' counterbalanced. They may be over balanced or under balanced. In fact, in practice as 'the electrodes burn away or are added to their i weight will vary though thevariation will not be great enough to cause undue strain on. the adjusting mechanism. Various equivalents of pulleys and cables are known by which the downward pull of one yelectrode may be transmitted to another electrode or a counterweight in an upward direction, and

The principle can be applied not,

such equivalents maybe used `in place ofthe cab'le and pulleys illustrated.'

"The motor-operated threaded rods T and jus-ting the electrodes -and holdingthem; the counterbalancing-means serving to reduce tl1e' strains on them to a minimum, approximately Zero in normal operation. Then any -one o f Athe electrodes burns' away so that its .arc-:becomes too long its motor and col'itrolling rod T arel actuated, usually by automatic mechanisni, to feed'it down. In this operation the othertwo electrodes remain unmoved, their pulley blocks being` stationary and the counterweights Z alone moving. ,And in case any., large part of one of the electrodes breaks off, the adjustment 'of the other two will also remainundisturbed while theb'rok'en electrode is being restored t working condition.

The 'common method of supporting such electrodes has been by means of a cable and an 4electrically operated winch which pulls on the cable or pays it out to raise or lower the electrode. The sameadjusting means may be applied withthc present ,counterweighting system. For example; instead of vthe threaded rods T of Fig. 4 cables-may be attached to the blocksll R and S. runningr down to motor-operated Winches. Such 'cables will hold these blocks and their elec-5 trodes against the weight of the latter.' But the cou'nterweights'Z". this case cannot-be made heavy enough to counterbalance an ,entire unit consisting of'elcctrode and holder .and connected parts: because 1n that case the breaking ofi' of a large piece of the electrode or the slipping .of. an electrde through its holder wouldle'ssen the downward'pull on the latter and the wei hts Z wouldv pull vdown the block (P R' or y which supported the holder, the movement continuing tol the limit of permissible movement of the weights Z. To avoid this the total -of these weights had better be 'made' just suicient 'to balance or slightly overbalance the weight of a holder and connected partsexclusive of the electrode. This is generally lthe' greater partof't-he total weight'of the unit and its counterbalancing is amatter of considerable their connections serv-e for independently ad'- valueL I have spoken of the counterb'alanc=I ing of the electrode but it will be'linderstood that I include in` .this term the counterbalancing in whole or in large part of the unit comprising the 'electrode and its holder and connected 'movable parts.

Various other modifications ofy thegmecha.- nism shown may be made by those-skilled in the art and parts of theinechanis'mshown may be v usedA separately .fr-cm' 'other parts with-out dcpartingfmmfthe invention as described in the following-claims.

That I claim is: l. An electrode furnace having a plurality of electrodes, one counterbalancing another.

2. An electrode. furnace having at least I three electrodes connected together in a common counterbalanced system.

3, An electrode furnace lhaving a plurality of electrodes, one counterbala-ncing another in combination with separate counterbalancing means.

4. An electrode furnace havin a plurality of electrodes, a pulley and a ca le supporting the weights of said electrodes and passing from one electrode over said pulley to another so as to balance one electrode against another. i

5. An electrode furnace having at least three electrodes, pulleys and a single cable supporting the weights of said electrodes and passing from each electrode over a pulley to another electrode so as to balance the electrodes against one another.

6. An electrode furnace havinga plurality of adjustable units each comprising an elec trode and holder and related parts, one of said units eounterbalancing another.

7. An electrode furnace having a plurality ot' vertical electrodes, an overhead supportingstructure and means carried thereby for transmitting the downward pull of one elec trode as )an upward pull on another;

-xny hand.

8. An electrode furnace having vertical electrodes each with a holder extending across the top'of the furnace, cables Supporting'eachholder at two points to maintain it parallel, a block for each holder to which the upper ends of said cables are attached and a cable connecting said blocks and passing over an intermediate pulley. v

t). An electrode furnace having a plurality of electrodes and a common counterbalancing means for said electrodes. f

10. An electrode furnace having a pluf;

rality of electrodes, a common counterbal ancmg means for said electrodes, and lneans` i for positively adjusting and holding said'v electrodes.

11. An electrode furnace having a plurality of electrodes, one counterbalancing another, and independent means for adjusting and holding each of said electrodes.

1'2. An electric furnace having a'plnrality of electrodes, electric connections to said electrodes and counterweighting means for the electrodes arranged outside of the 'space through which the several connections pass.

In Witness-whereof, I have hereunto set WALDEMAR DYRssEN. 

